Tom Selleck admitted to being “frustrated” over CBS ‘ decision to end the long-running police procedural Blue Bloods . In a new interview with TV Insider , the star — who has portrayed NYPD police commissioner Frank Reagan across nearly 300 episodes, 14 seasons and just as many years — discussed feeling that the primetime series has been “always taken for granted.” “I’m kind of frustrated.
During those last eight shows [ Blue Bloods will conclude with eight episodes that begin airing Oct. 18 at 10 p.m.
], I haven’t wanted to talk about an ending for Blue Bloods but about it still being wildly successful,” he said, adding that the series was a top performer during last year’s broadcast season in terms of total viewership, cracking the Top 10 when one discounts the top football programs. Despite averaging 8.1 million viewers — a feat in today’s broadcast landscape — the series is on its way out, likely due to the financial burden required to keep a long-running show going.
He continued, “I’m not going to turn into a bitter old guy saying, ‘Get off my lawn!’ I don’t believe in holding grudges, but if you were to say to the television network, ‘Here’s a show you can program in the worst time slot you got, and it is going to guarantee you winning Friday night for the next 15 years,’ it would be almost impossible to believe.” “My frustration is the show was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go,” the Friend.